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T K E 



LIFE AND CHARACTER 



GEN. JOHN B. HOOD. 



By MRS.C. M. WINKLER, Corsicana, Texas. 



WRITTEN AT REQUEST, AND 



Published by authority of Hood's Texas Brigade As- 
sociation, and read before the Association 
by the authoress, June 27, 1885. 



Dr.\ughon & Lambert, Printers, 
JOHN SOUT^GATE, Binder, 
Austin, Texas. 



i'^ 



T ri E 



LIFE AND CHARACTER 



OF 



GEN. JOHN B. HOOD 



By Mrs. CM. WINKLER, Corsicana, Texas 

u 



WRITTEN AT REQUEST, AND 



Published by authority of Hood's Texas Brigade As- 
sociation, and read before the Association 
by the authoress, June 27, 1885. 



DUAUGHON & LAM15ERT, PriuttUS, 

John Southgate, Binder, 
Austin, Texas. 



■^i^iA 



.^^^ 



\V 



^o336 



LIFE AND CHARACTER 



OF 



GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD, 



By MRS. C. M. WINKLER, Corsicana, Texas. 



READ BEFORE HOOd's TEXAS BRIGADE ASSOCIATION, JUNE 2 7, 1 885. 



CHAPTER I. 

Perhaps in the range of possibility there could have 
been no more pleasant task assigned me than to prepare 
a paper for your annual re-union upon the subject of the 
life and character of the General you all loved so well, 
in whose military genius you felt the most implicit con- 
fidence, and in whose judgment you relied in every hour 
of your connection together as soldiers of a common 
cause. 

I know in the estimation of the brave men forming 
now only a remnant of a once courageous band, the 
Generals, highest in your scale attaining human perfec- 
tion, were Robert E. Lee and John B. Hood. The 
brilliant achievements of the great Stonewall Jackson 
inspired you with the loftiest enthusiasm, and each one 
to-day is proud to remember he served with that illus. 
trious Confederate in the army of Northern Virginia, 



4 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

but Robert E. Lee was the man 3-011 unquestionably 
obeyed, while John B. Hood was the man 3'ou followed 
upon every battlefield. He was the man you loved as a 
dear friend and brother, and around your exploits upon 
the various fields of strife, where foe met foe in deadly 
conflict, hang with yours the unfading laurels of his mili- 
tary fame, destined to remain to posterity the deathless 
inheritance of unselfish patriotism. 

In the examination of his character, the principles 
that influenced ever}- action of his life, the high sense 
of honor, the proud record he labored to make for his 
men and himself, the noble sacrifice of mere personal 
advancement, the devotion to the cause he followed with 
persistence, we shall endeavor to faithfuU}' portray his 
actions in a proper light, while we shall strive to do 
injustice to no human being. 

Refined and cultivated, he was elegant and courtly in 
manner and a Chesterfield in politeness. As a friend, 
he was generous and true, possessing the rare faculty 
of remembering not only the faces, but the names of 
e\'er}' man under his command with whom he e^'er came 
in contact, which was remarkable, considering the num- 
ber of people with whom he had been thrown at differ- 
ent periods of his life. So true was he to the deep 
affection he entertained for each member of his " Old 
Brigade," that he visited as many of them, as possible, 
at their homes during a tour he made through Texas 
after the war was over, refusing the hospitality of many 
others to enjoy with the men he loved a few hours to 
re-cement the bond of friendship formed in camp, upon 



GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 6 

the weary march, in the hospital, or upon the battle- 
fields he had helped mark as monuments of daring 
courage, of matchless bravery, of unparalled success. 
When the decree went forth that the warriors' banner 
must be furled, and the Stars and Bars, with their em- 
blematic Southern Cross, must no more be flung to the 
breeze, and hope no more tinged with radiance the 
horizon of our sky, around no life of all who had ren- 
dered the "Lost Cause" such noble service linsfered 
more of the poetry, romance and chivalry of the fruit- 
less undertaking than clustered about the name of Gene 
ral John B. Hood.\ 

Only at times, now, do we dare approach the beautiful 
Confederate Temple in Ennis ; only at times do we pass 
with reverential tread over the crumbling doorstep, 
matted with weeds and covered with moss, and stand 
within the edifice overgrown with honeysuckle and ivy. 
The mosaic pavement wrought by the hands of sister 
States is stained with the blood of heroes and damp with 
the tears of widowhood and orphanage. We are privi- 
leged to brush the cob-webs and dust from the beautiful 
images of our great men who have left their impress 
upon the century, and are forever set up in the sculp- 
tured niches there, for the admiration of coming ages. 
Only at times, like the present, do we. wreathe their 
brows once more with the green cedar of undying re_ 
membrance, and turning to the daisy-starred graves of 
our dead brethren, who there too repose, scatter the 
roses and lillies of our hearts' best appreciation above 
the loved and lost. 



6 LIFE AND CHARACTER OP 

At such times, then, it becomes our right to recall 
again the grandeur of the past, and amid the busy tur- 
moil of the world, with its rushing business, its man}^ 
cares, we to-day turn our steps to our temple in the wild 
wood, and will devote this hour to the contemplation of 
one forever gone out of the weariness and strife. He 
is living still in the memor}- of all who cherish kindly 
feeling, noble sentiment, and exalted patriotism, en- 
shrined in that most sacred chamber of all our hearts, 
as one we knew and loved, destined also to live forever 
upon the page of history as long as the archives of the 
great American nation shall be preserved and its history 
shall be read b}- the admiring millions who will come 
after us, in the cycling ages of the future. 
^ General John Bell Hood was born at Owensville, 
Bath county, Kentucky, June 29, 183 1, and was brought 
up at Mount Sterling, Montgomery county, Kentucky. 
Of his childhood and youth we know nothing, except 
that his father was a physician, who occupied a high 
position in the medical world, and was desirous his son 
should adopt the same profession, offering the induce- 
ment of completing his studies in Europe. The young 
gentleman, howev^er, had his dreams of future glory 
and his heart set upon a military life, as his ardor had 
been excited by the deeds of daring of both his grand- 
fathers, who were soldiers under Washington. They 
were of English origin, had settled in Virginia, but emi- 
grated to Kentucky, the "dark and bloody ground," 
where they li\-ed in constant warfare with the Indians, 



GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 7 

and one had married at Fort Boonesboro, the first forti- 
fication constructed in the State. 

His anxiety upon the subject of a military education 
induced his maternal uncle, Judge French, then a mem- 
ber of Congress, to obtain for him an appointment to 
West Point. He entered that military academy in 1849, 
at the age of seventeen, and graduated in 1853, in the 
class with Sheridan, McPherson and Schofield. He 
A\^as appointed brevet second lieutenant of the fourth in- 
fantry, then serving in California. Sailing from New 
York via Panama, he reached San Francisco and was 
stationed a short period at Benica Barracks, where he 
was directed to report for duty at Fort Jones, Scott's 
Valley, in the northern part of California, where he 
found Colonel Buchanan in command of a regiment, 
with Captain U. S. Grant as quartermaster. While 
here, game was plentiful and Lieutenant Hood and 
another member of his mess sent their surplus game to 
market, cultivated a field and sowed wheat. Before 
this financial scheme came to perfection and the wheat 
was harvested, he was ordered in command of a detach- 
ment of dragoons to serve as escort to Lieutenant Wil- 
liamson, of the topographical engineers, upon a surv^ey- 
ing expedition in the direction of Salt Lake. These 
duties were soon brought to a close by an appointment 
as second lieutenant in the second cavalry, a new regi- 
ment organized by act of Congress in 1855, commanded 
by Colonel Albert Sidney Johnson, with R. E. Lee 
as Lieutenant-Colonel, and George Thomas and W. J. 
Hardee as Majors. Lieutenant Phillip Sheridan 



8 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

relieved him, and he returned to San Francisco, en route 
for Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, the rendezvous of his 
regiment. Here me met in his bank W. T. Sherman. 
Thus early was he thrown with the men who were des- 
tined to be engaged on different sides of one of the most 
desparate contests that had ever engaged the attention 
of the American people — men who afterwards, all be- 
came distinguished actors in the great military drama 
enacted upon the battlefields rendered illustrious by 
their skill and valor. 



CHAPTER II. 

While at Jefferson Barracks, he received his share of 
the profits of the wheat crop — one thousand dollars in 
gold. In November, he marched with his regiment to 
Fort Belknap, Texas (there were no railroads at this 
time through this portion of the country), reaching the 
fort in December. Camp Cooper was established soon 
afterwards upon the Clear Fork of the Brazos. The 
government had under advisement the construction of a 
fort, and Colonel Lee was in the habit of riding over 
the country in search of a suitable location, taking some 
of his officers along to get their opinion with regard to 
establishing a suitable militar}' post. Lieutenant Hood 
frequently accompanied him on these excursions, and 
here he spent a most delightful season of enjoyment, 
galloping over the beautiful prairies, breathing the balmy 
air, and in association with cultivated gentlemen, There 
was formed that attachment between Generals Lee and 
Hood which was never interrupted throughout their 
lives, the young lieutenant listening to his elder's words 
of wisdom and gauging his conduct by the high stand- 
ard of morality set up for his emulation by the living 
example of the model gentleman who was his daily 
companion, Perhaps more than any other, this associa- 
tion had a directing influence upon all his future life, as 
all who knew General Hood are familiar with his keea 



10 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

sense of honor, his high-bred avoidance of the debasing 
vices that cast such a blemish upon man}' human char- 
acters. 

He was ordered to Fort Mason, near the Llano river, 
during the latter part of this year. On Jul}^ 5, 1857, he 
left Fort Mason in command of twenty-five men on a 
scouting expedition in search of Indians. Provided with 
thirty days rations, with an Indian guide and compass, 
and, actuated by youthful aspirations, the little party 
traversed the country between the Concho rivers and 
Mexico, struck a trail, and followed the red men in 
■spite of the desert country or Staked Plains which lay 
between, the scarcity of water in their canteens, and the 
danger of getting so far away in the wilderness. Orders 
had been received at camp from Washington before they 
left that a part}' of Tonkaway Indians were expected at 
the reservation, and would raise a w^hite flag as a signal 
of their approach, and it must be respected. 

Lieutenant Hood came up with the Indians at a range 
of hills, and as they raised a white flag, he did not 
attack. Suddenly, the wily foe threw down the treach- 
erous signal and commenced firing. The struggle now 
commenced and grew desparate, the Indians coming up 
and fighting hand to hand. Their ammunition w^as all 
expended, the ground, covered with a growth of Spanish 
daggers, strewn with the dead and wounded, while two 
■of the scouting party were killed and several, amongst 
them Lieutenant Hood, wounded, the latter having his 
hand pinned to his bridle with an arrow. The attacking 
party were Comanches and Lipans. The howl of dis- 



GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 11 

tress from the Indians indicated that they had fought 
long enough, and when night approached they gathered 
up their dead and wounded and moved toward the Rio 
Grande. The troops returned to Fort Mason. General 
Twiggs, commanding department, complimented them 
on their exploit, saying in his official report: " Lieu- 
ten? nt Hood's affair was a gallant one, and much credit 
is due to both officer and men " It was afterwards 
learned that the Indians lost nineteen warriors. Not 
long after his return to Fort Mason he was promoted to 
the rank of first lieutenant and placed on duty at Camp 
Colorado, gaining his first distinction by a display of 
bravery, at Devil's river, Texas. 

In 1858 he established Camp Wood, on the Nueces 
river, and continued at this post, until, while he was on 
a leave of absence in November, i860, he was ordered 
to report for duty as chief of cavalry at West Point. He 
went to Washington and asked to be relieved from the 
order, stating that he feared war would soon be declared, 
in which event he preferred to act with freedom. Colonel 
Cooper, Adjutant General, exclaimed: "Mr. Hood, 
you surprise me. This is a post and position sought by 
everv soldier." He acceded to the request, and before 
his leave of absence expired, hostilities were declared. 
He immediately returned and parted with his command, 
who were on dut}^ at Indianola Texas, where he bade 
his comrades a reluctant farewell, but his duty to his 
native South seemed paramonnt to that he owed the 
United States government, and he felt compelled to obey 
the dictates of his conscience. 



12 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

Becoming convinced no action would be taken in a 
decided manner by Kentucky, he proceeded to Mont- 
gomery, Ala., then the seat of the Confederate govern- 
ment, and offered his sword to its service. 

He was ordered to report to Colonel R. E. Lee at 
Richmond, who had been placed in command of State 
troops by authority of the Governor of Virginia. We 
have been particular to notice all these circumstances 
minutely, to explain General Hood's affection for Texas, 
and his preference upon all occasions for Texas troops. 
He had visited, during his long service on the Texas 
frontier, many portions of the beautiful countr}^, and was 
impressed with its vast and undeveloped resources and 
had determined, whenever he tired of the military, to 
make it his home. When Kentucky, therefore, failed 
to act, he entered the service from Texas, and ever 
spoke of it afterwards as his adopted home. 

Colonel Lee sent him at once to Yorktown to report 
to Colonel Magruder, who assigned him to the com- 
mand of some cavalry companies, with the rank of 
major After the battle of Big Bethel, he led his men 
out into the swamp, and attacked the Federals upon the 
spot where Colonel Dreux, of the Louisiana battalion, 
had been killed. While here, annoying with his cavalry 
the troops in the vicinity of Fortress Monroe, he was 
promoted lieutenant-colonel, and in September was sum- 
moned to Richmond, appointed colonel and directed to 
organize the Fourth Texas Regiment of infantry, which 
had arrived from that State and were lying in camp near 



GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 13 

the city, styled "Camp Texas," in honor of the Lone 
Star State. 

Had President Davis looked into the future with pro- 
phetic vision he could have made no wiser selection — 
and doubtless it was after consultation with General 
Lee, and after mature consideration, the appointment 
was made. Whatever may have been the motive, 
Colonel Hood felt no higher compliment could be paid 
him than to be placed in command of men from the State 
he loved, and from whence he had thrown his fortunes 
with the Confederate cause. There had been some dis- 
satisfaction amongst the Texas companies with regard 
to their organization, and it was feared they would be 
pleased with no man the offlcials might select. Very 
few had ever known Colonel Hood personally, but if any 
objection was raised the feeling soon gave wa}', and 
every one became perfectl}' contented and proud of their 
commanding officer. 

Colonel Hood was six feet two inches in height, broad 
full chest, without an}- surplus flesh, light brown hair 
and beard, blue eyes, with the softest, tenderest expres- 
sion, except when excited, then flashing with lightning- 
like rapidity, commanding in appearance, dignified in 
manner, courteous to officers and men, and yet strict in 
his ideas of discipline. He was a man of great personal 
magnetism, capable of holdmg the lo\-e and command- 
ing the respect of all who came within his influence. 
His men found him able and ready to give all necessary 
instruction, not only in drilling them for the field, but, 
*'also in the forms and technicalities of the clothing. 



14 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

commissary, ordnance and transportation departments, 
for the want of which information regiments entering the 
service frequently had to go hungry, and commissaries 
and quartermasters made many fruitless trips.'' All 
these qualifications made him an eminently proper per- 
son to place in command of the Texans, and they soon 
had the good sense to appreciate their advantage. 

The Texas regiments went into camp at Dumfries, 
on the lower Occoquan, in November, and here Colonel 
Hood, after the brigade was organized under command 
of General Wigfall, began his course of discipline for 
the Fourth Texas Regiment. This splendid body of 
men, as he always called them, he desired to become 
famous in deeds of valor when the time for action came. 
He taught them by the camp fire, on drill, on dress 
parade, and everywhere the occasion offered, that the 
number of colors and guns captured and prisoners taken 
constituted the true test of the work done by any com- 
mand during an engagement — appealing to their pride. 
Again, he impressed the lesson cf personal responsibility 
— each member must feel that in their conduct in camp, 
when around cities and towns, no comrade must be 
allowed to bring disgrace upon the regiment, but must 
be dealt with summarily by the men themselves, thereby 
instilling a high sense of honor amongst his soldiers. 
Then he was careful to teach obedience to orders as a 
cardinal virtue of a soldier, even to putting out the lights 
at night, as men if restless themselves must not disturb 
others, for to sleep when the chance offered was an im- 
portant duty and must be strictly attended to in order to 



GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 15 

march and fight next day. Thus., by every means in 
his power, he sought to arouse the martial spirit of his. 
men, stimulating them to desire to be first upon the bat- 
tlefield in bravery, and also, first in their deportment, so 
the world would cast no slur upon their conduct as gen- 
tlemen. 

The other ofiicers warmly entered into the plans and 
assisted Colonel Hood, the utmost feeling of fraternal 
regard existing between all during that first winter spent 
in the sleet, snow and cold of the Dumfries camp, 
binding officers and men together with ties that have 
never been forgotten, and which death itself has not 
been able to sever. 



CHAPTR III. 

Colonel Hood was appointed Brigadier General 
March 7, 1862, while en route to Fredericksburg from 
their winter quarters, being promoted over the head of 
the commander of the Fifth Texas Regiment, who 
ranked him by reason of seniority, but who was noble 
and generous to see the promotion was entirely deserved, 
and the first to congratulate him upon the added honor. 
To a man as proud and sensitive as General Hood, this 
was a pleasing episode of his life. (Militar}' men are 
tenacious with regard to minor points of etiquette, and 
the least deviation from the code is looked upon with sus- 
picion.) They now took the route to Yorktown, 
taking the cars to Ashland, from thence marching to 
Yorktown. There the horse arrived purchased for him 
bv the privates of the Fourth Texas Regiment, and pre- 
sented one evening at dress parade. 

At Eltham's Landing, on York river, while the evacu- 
ation of the Peninsula was being effected. Hood's bri- 
gade, acting as rear guard of the army, met the Fede- 
ral troops which had been landed from gun-boats to in- 
tercept the advance of supplies, and, if possible, cut the 
Confederate army in twain. General Hood was natu- 
rally very anxious with regard to how his men would 
behave, as this was the first time they were regularly 
under fire. The charge was gallantly met and repulsed, 



GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 17 

the Fourth Texas breaking their advance in gallant 
style, and running them under the cover of their gun- 
boats, heedless of the danger to themselves, until re- 
called by the repeated order of General Hood to halt, 
lest the guns from the boats be turned loose, to their 
utter destruction. This brilliant little affair drew the 
attention of people and authorities to the Texans, and 
was the beginning of their success. President Davis 
said : '* They saved the rear of the army and the whole 
of the baggage train." General Gustave Smith said; 
" The Texans won immortal honor for themselves, 
their State and their commander. General Hood, at 
Eltham's Landing, near West Point." 

On June 27, Hood's brigade again distinguished 
itself, and made the reputation which has written their 
name high upon the roll of honor in the annals of 
modern warfare. The battle of Gaines' Mill had been 
raging previously all day ; numbers of men had marched 
to the attack of General McClellan's lines, and had 
been mowed down as grass ; grave doubts were being 
entertained of the day being won. While in this extreme 
situation, General Lee rode up to General Hood and 
asked : " Can you break that line of entrenchments? " 
General Hood replied with characteristic coolness : 
** I will try." He marched the regiments of his bri» 
gade together, supporting one another, directed them 
not to iire till ordered, told them what General Lee had 
said, and that he would lead the charge. In a clear, 
ringing voice, amid the shower of shot and shell, he 
ordered the Fourth Texas Regiment and Eighteenth 



18 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

Georgia to follow. Onward they went to the crest of 
the hill where so many had faltered. Now came the 
order to " fix bayonets and charge.'' With a shout, they 
dashed up the hill, through the abattis, upon the very 
heads of the Federals, who scattered toward the valley 
beyond. The other Confederate troops joined in the 
rout, and the great Confederate victory was won. A 
participant in the battle said : " The secret of our suc- 
cess is found in the discretion exercised by Hood at the 
top of the hill, where so man}- had fallen before us, 
when, instead of halting and making a fight, as others 
had done, he gave the word, and our brave men rushed 
headlong from the hill, and, at short range and with 
cold steel, drove the enemy from their hiding places." 

At Frazier's Farm, Savage Station, Malvern Hill, 
Freemen's Ford and Thoroughfare Gap, General Hood 
and his men did efficient work for the Confederate 
cause. During the two days of Second Manassas, he 
was actively engaged, and, upon the last day, was 
given command of several brigades, and ordered 
during the engagement to direct the operations in a dif- 
ficult position, after his men had run pell-mell over 
Sickles' Excelsior Brigade of Zuaves and captured the 
guns of the battery supporting them. 

It was a fine compliment for General Hood to have 
been selected at this critical juncture to receive and 
post the troops sent upon the field. Victor}^ again 
perched upon our banner, and General Hood said of his 
men : "As to their gallantry and unflinching courage, 
they stand unsurpassed in the history of the world." 



GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 19 

At Manassas, General Hood's men captured, amongst 
other trophies of war, some ambulances. He thought 
it best they should retain them for their own use, and 
refused to turn them over to Major-General Evans for a 
North Carolina regiment. General Evans became very 
indignant, and put him under arrest for disobedience of 
orders. On the march to Maryland, he was ordered by 
General Longstreet to remain at Culpepper, and wait 
for a court-martial. General Lee, hearing of the mat- 
ter, and realizing the injustice of the whole affair, yet 
not willing to depart from the strict letter of the law, 
sent instructions he should remain under arrest, but 
continue with his men. 

The men were ver}^ much dissatisfied, and refused to 
go into the fight at Boonesboro Gap, South Mountain, 
under the leadership of General Evans, unless General 
Hood was in command. He reported that the Texas 
brigade had mutinied to General Lee, when that officer 
sent for General Hood and told him he was in a quan- 
dary, as he was just going into a fight, and one of his 
best generals under arrest, and requested he should at 
least say he regretted the affair. General Hood re- 
plied : "I am unable to do so, since I cannot admit or 
see the justice of General Evans' demand for ambu- 
lances my men have captured . Had I been ordered to turn 
them over for the general use of the army, I would cheer- 
fully have acquiesced.'' "Well," General Lee said, " I 
will suspend your arrest until the impending battle is de- 
cided. Take command of your men." The brigade 
opened ranks when they saw him approaching, and al- 



20 LIFE AN J) CHARACTER OF 

lowed him to ride tlirough, while cheer after cheer rent 
the air, notwithstanding they were in the face of the 
enemy. When the head of the column was reached, he 
gave the command, " Forward,'" and every man gladly 
obeyed. General D. H. Hill, holding the Gap for hours* 
had been pressed back by superior numbers, when 
General Hood came to the i-escue, and, with fixed bav- 
onets, led his men over the rugged steeps, driving the 
enem}' from their position, and foiling their attempts to 
relieve the garrison at Harper's Ferry, which was com- 
pelled to surrender to Stonewall Jackson 

At Sharpsburg, he was sent into an exposed position- 
on the battlefield, and remained there, unrelieved and 
unassisted by the troops General Lee had ordered to 
his support, enduring the hottest fire of all tlie war, his 
force out-numbered twenty to one. There they stood 
with their commander, who dispatched in vain for 
troops to be sent to his assistance, until they became 
the wonder and admiration of the enemy fighting in their 
front. Instead of a court-martial for the retention of 
captured ambulances. General Hood was recommended 
for promotion by General Stonewall Jackson after 
the enjjajjement was over, as sliown bv the following 
letter to the commandina- o-eneral : 



(ienemi : 

I respectfully recoimueml that Brigadier-! J eueial J. B. Hood- 
1)6 promoted to tlie rauk of Major-Geueral. He was imder my 
command during the engagement along the Cbickahominy, com- 
mencing on June 27 last, when he rendered distinguished service. 
Though not of my command in the recently hard fought battle 
near Sharpshurg, Maryland, yet, for a portion of the day, T had 



GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 21 

•occasion to give directions respecting bis operations, and it gives 
me pleasure to say that liis duties were discharged with such 
ability and zeal as to command my admiration. I regard him as 
one of the most promising officers of tlie army. 
I am, General, your obedient servant, 

T. J. Jackson, 
Major-Geuera!. 

Shortly afterwards he received the commission of a 
Major-General. The brigades of Generals Law, Ben- 
NiNG, Anderson and Texas Brigade composed the new 
division, of which General Hood said " any general 
might feel justi}' honored to command." 



CHAPTER IV. 

Longstreet's corps was sent down into Suffolk^ 
and, consequently, when General Hooker crossed the 
Rappahannock and attacked General Lee at Chancel- 
lorsville, he found him at great disadvantage, with one- 
half his men at a distance. Before reaching him, on 
account of want of transportation, the battle had been 
fought. On the march, intelligence reached them of 
the victory and retreat of Hooker across the river to 
Stafford Heights, and also the news of the awful 
calamity of the death of Stonew'All Jackson. Gen- 
eral Hood had been very impatient at the delay, and 
expressed by letter, as soon as possible, the deep regret 
he felt at the loss of the brilliant and daring leader to 
General Lee, who replied : 

Mfi Dear General : 

Upou my return from Eichmoud, I fouud your letter. I wished 
for you very much in tlie last battle, and believe, had I had the 
whole army with me, General Hookkr would liave been demol- 
ished; but God oixlered otherwise. I grieve much over the death 
of General Jackson. We must endeaver to follow the unselfish 
devotion and intrepid course he pursued, and we shall be 
strengthened, rather than weakened, by his loss. I rely much 
upon you. You must so inspire and lead your brave division, as 
that it may accomplish the work of a corps. * * * * * 

I am and always your friend. 

W. E. Lke. 

At Gettysburg, General Hood was ordered to attack 



GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 23 

up the Emmittsburg road, the enemy being entrenched 
upon Round Top Mountain. Sending out his scouts, 
he ascertained what a fearful loss of life would be the 
price, as it was up a steep declivity, over huge boulders 
of rock, with the Federal cannon sweeping their ranks. 
Three times he remonstrated, and urged to be allowed 
instead to turn Round Top Mountain by a flank move- 
ment, as his division occupied the extreme left, but the 
request w^as refused, He led his men under the heavy 
fire, and in about twenty minutes was severely wounded 
in the arm and borne from the field. The assault was 
unsuccessful, as, although the First Texas managed to 
gain temporary possession of the Federal lines and cap- 
tured three guns, yet the others were unable to scale 
the rocky declivity, driven back by grape and canister, 
and the slight advantage was lost, the troops in advance 
being compelled to retire. General Hood always con- 
tended if he had been allowed by General Longstreet 
to use his own judgment, that part of the field would 
not have been lost. 

General Hood was now under medical treatment lor 
his wound, which did not, fortunately, necessitate tlie 
amputation of his arm. While still in Richmond under 
the surgeon's care, Longstreet's corps passed through 
the city, on their way to join General Bragg in the 
west, and although but partially recovered, he deter- 
mined to follow, with his arm still in a sling. Reaching 
Ringgold, Georgia, he was ordered to proceed to Reid's 
Bridge, on the Chickamauga, and assume command of 
the column advancing against the Federals. There he 



24 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

met his men for the first time since Gettysburg, who 
gave liim a touching welcome. 

During tlie first day's fighting he drove the enemy six 
or seven miles across the Chickamauga. Next day 
General Longstreet assifjned to him the direction of 
the left wing of the army, placing five divisions under 
his command. From nine until two and a half o'clock 
they wrestled with the foe, when, by a charge led by 
Kershaw's division, the Confederates rushed forward 
under General Hood's orders, penetrated into the 
woods beyond the breastworks, and scored another tri- 
umph for our arms. Just then, in the supreme moment 
of success. General Hood fell, pierced by a Minie ball 
through the thigh. Strange to sav, as he afterwards 
expressed it, while commanding five divisions, he fell 
wounded into the arms of the men composing his old 
Texas Brigade. He was borne to a field hospital, and 
one of the most difficult operations performed — amputa- 
tion of the limb at the thijrh. From thence he was 
removed to a pleasant family residence in Armuchee 
valle}', but learning the Federals contemplated a raid to 
capture him, he was taken to Atlanta, and thence to 
Richmond. Here he remained several months at a pri- 
vate residence, an honored guest, receiving the most 
flattering testimonials of regard from all classes of peo- 
ple, who did everything in their power to mitigate his 
sufferings. 

The battle of Chickamauga was fought September 19 
and 20, but General Hood was only able to mount his 
horse for exercise in the middle of January. General 



GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 25 

LoNGSTREET telegraphed the authorities at Richmond 
on the day General Hood was wounded, urging his 
promotion to the rank of lieutenant-general : 

Genertil: 

I respftctfiilly rceoimueiuT Major Genenil J(»ux B. Hoou for 
promotion to the rauk of lieutenant-general, for distinguished 
conduet and ability in the battle of the 20th instant. General 
Hood handled his troops with the coolness and ability that I have 
rarely known to any officer on any tield, and had the misfortune, 
.after winning the battle, to lose one of his liuibs. 
Respectfullv, 

J, LoNCSTllKET, 

Lieutcnant-General. 

General Bragcj failed to follow up the victory and 
•advance upon Chattanooga, only ten miles distant, al- 
lowing the Federals to fortify. He fought at Lookout 
Mountain and at Missionary Ridge, but previous to that 
encrao-ement General Longstreet was sent to Knox- 
ville to attack General Burncide ; General Bragg thus 
scattering his forces, while the enemy were concentrat- 
ing theirs. After a severe engagement at Missionary 
Rid^«-e, General Bragg was in full retreat, having left 
all his strong positions on Lookout Mountain, Chatta- 
nooga Valley and Missionary Ridge in the hands of the 
foe, going to Ringgold and thence to Dalton, Georgia. 
So much dissatisfaction was expressed with regard to 
General Bragg' s movements, he was relieved from duty, 
and General Joseph E. Johnston assumed command 
December i6, 1863. 

Simultaneously with General Grant's advance upon 
Richmond to crush out the Army of Northern Virginia, 
General Sherman conceived the plan of moving upon 



26 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

the Army of the West, sending three columns toward 
Dalton — front, northeast and southwest — and by a flank 
movement at Resaca compelHng Johnston to evacuate 
Dalton. General Johnston engaged in a kind of desul- 
tory fighting at Resaca Valley, at New Hope Church, 
and at Kenesaw Mountain. General Sherman again 
executed a flank movement, and General Johnston was 
compelled to abandon the mountain defense and retire 
towards Atlanta. 

This retreat was consummated without any consider- 
able military disaster, but was a disappointment both to 
the authorities at Richmond and the people generally. 
The Federals were now in possession of half of Geor- 
gia. The Confederates had abandoned one of the finest 
wheat districts of the Confederacy, almost ripe for the 
harvest, and at Rome and Etowah river had surren- 
dered the iron rolling mills and government works of 
great value. This culminated in the removal, before 
Atlanta, of General Johnston. But we must not an- 
ticipate, but go back and give a few reasons for General 
Johnston's antipathy to General Hood, whom he sub- 
jected to such severe criticism in his book. 



CHAPTER V. 

At Carsville, General Jojinston did not consult the 
corps commanders, as is usual, and give them explicit 
directions, as he issued only a general order that he 
intended to fight. Generals Hood and Polk were sub- 
jected to an enfilading fire for two or three hours, and, 
after consultation, decided to apprise the commanding 
general that the line held was untenable for defense, 
and if he did not intend to assume the offensive next 
morning, they would advise him to change his position. 
General Johnston reported he had intended to fight 
there, but Generals Hood and Poi.k urged him to aban- 
don the ground immediately. General Hood said in 
his work "Advance and Retreat:" " I do this day and 
hour, in the name of truth, honor and justice, in th^ 
name of the departed soul of the Christian and noble 
Polk, and in the presence of the Creator, most sol- 
emnly deny that General Polk or I recommended Gen- 
eral Johnston, at Carsville, to retreat when he intended 
to give battle; and affirm that the recommendation 
made by us to change his position was throughout the 
discussion coupled with the proviso, if he did not intend 
to force a pitched battle with General Sheriman." 

General Johnston was relieved of his command July 
17, the telegram from the War Department reading 
thus : 



28 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

Lieutenant-General Hood has been commissioned to the tem- 
poniiy rank of general; under the hite law of Congress. I am 
directed by the Secretary of War to inform you that, as you have 
failed to arrest the advance of the enemy to the vicinity of At- 
lanta, far into the interior of Georgia, and express no confidence 
that you can defeat or repel him, you are hereby relieved from 
the command of the Army and Department of Tennessee, which 
you will immediately turn over to General Hoou. 

Upon the receipt of this starthng and unexpected order, 
General Hood sought an interview with General John- 
ston, and requested him to pocket the order, and leave 
him to command his corps and tight the battle of At- 
lanta, as General Sherman was rapidly approaching 
with the avowed intention of capturing the city. He 
replied that the President had seen ht to relieve him, 
and it would have so to be, unless the order was coun- 
termanded. Lieutenant-Generals Hardp:e and Stew- 
art then joined General Hood in a telegram to the 
President, requesting the order of his removal be post- 
poned, at least until the fate of Atlanta was decided. 
We gi\e an extract from the President's reph' : 

A change of eommanders, under existing circumstances, was 
regarded as so oltjectionable that 1 only accepted it as the alterna- 
tive of continuing a policy which has proven disastrous. The 
order has been executed, and I cannot suspend it without making 
the case worse than it was before the order was issued. 

General Hood returned to General Johnston and 
urged him to remain in command and fight for Atlanta. 
He refused. Then General Hood referred to the em- 
barrassment of his position — not being familiar with 
€ven the two remaining corps of the army — and be- 
•sought him to at least remain and give him the benefit 



GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 21> 

of his counsel while lie determined the issue. He fi-^' 
nally promised, after riding into Atlanta, to return, yet,' 
without a word of explanation, left for Macon, Ga. 
the same evening. 

The personnel of the two armies of Virginia and the 
West were alike, but, while one army had been fighting 
without breastworks, the other had been protected by 
entrenchments, the constant use of which causes sol- 
diers to look for protection, while- those who fight in an 
open field manifest a spirit of indifference and self- 
reliance perfectly irresistible to every barrier. It was a 1 
part of General Lee's creed that the constant use of 
breastworks would finally impair the morale of the best 
disciplined army. General Hood says: "Moreover, 
the highest perfection in the education of troops well 
disciplined, can only be attained through continued ap- 
peals to their pride, and through incitement to make 
known their prowess by the substantial test of guns and 
colors captured upon the field of battle. Soldiers thus 
educated will ever prove a terror to the foe." We have 
seen that this was his first instruction to the soldiers of 
the Fourth Texas Regiment when he first took com- 
mand of them at Richmond, and he always affirmed 
this was what had made the whole brijjade afterwards, 
so invincible in the presence of the enemy. General 
Lee made use of intrenchments only as a dernier resort, 
or in order to hold a portion of his line while he at- 
tacked the main body ; and when he did entrench, 
marched to where the line was to be defended, and did not 
risk a succession of petty skirmishes. General John- 



30 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

STOx not only made uniform use of entrenchments, but 
retreated and fought at the same time — an error which 
General Lee always eschewed, and one which should 
always be avoided, since the long continuance of such a 
policy will prove the inevitable ruin of an}' ami}'. Lord 
Napier, the highest authority on war, saj'S : "It is 
unquestionable that a retreating arm}- should fight as 
little as possible." 

We are not proposing to descant upon General John- 
ston's errors, but merely wish to do entire justice to 
our hero, who took command of this army under such 
disadvantageous circumstances, which, coupled with 
the dissatisfaction of the men, who had become dis- 
heartened by the continual retreating and had deserted by 
hundreds, helping on the demoralization, made it such 
an exceedingly difficult position to fill with either credit 
to himself or honor for the cause. 

The statement of Generals Hardee and Stewart 
that the army, after crossing the Chattahoochee, had as 
much spirit and confidence as it possessed at Dalton, 
General Hood declares to be erroneous. They had 
been accustomed to the plans of the western campaign, 
and knew nothing of the high state of perfection ob- 
tained in the Virginia army under the training and mode 
of handling by General Lee. General Johnston had 
retreated three hundred miles when he reached Atlanta, 
which he afterwards stated he could have held "for- 
ever," but, judging by analogy, it is to be presumed his 
military skill would ha^■e devised no better plan than 
General Hood's. 



CHAPTER VI. 

General Hood attacked the enemj-'s right at Peach- 
tree Creek, Jul}' 20, gaining some adv^antage. Pollard 
says this was one of the most reckless and headlong 
charges of the war. 

On the twenty-second, he again engaged them, and 
on July 28, he made another attack. General Sher- 
man said Hood's advance was magnificent, but the 
superior numbers, the skillful formation of their lines, 
secured them the day, and both generals fortified and 
set themselves down for a seige like Grant and Lee, 
afterwards, at Richmond, indicating that the plans of 
the two Federals were identical in their intentions. 

For several weeks. General Sherman bombarded the 
city, accomplishing little. General Hood sent off his 
cavahy to raid on Sherman's line of communication. 
Instantly, the Federals went after them with the princi- 
pal portion of their army, literally dividing the Confed- 
erate forces. Sherman sa3-s : "At last, Hood made 
the mistake we had waited for so long." As he be- 
came conscious he was out-flanked, there was nothing 
to do but blow up his magazines, destroy his supplies 
and evacuate. Sherman had won, after the spirit of the 
army had re\ived by the bold manoeuvers of General 
Hood. 

The loss of Atlanta was a serious blow to the Con- 



32 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

federacy. President Davis determined upon a visit to 
General Hood's headquarters, but he never lost faith in 
the man he had placed at the head of affairs, believing, 
if any man could conduct the Western army to victory, 
that man was General Hood. He addressed the troops 
in hopeful and encouraging terms. 

General Hood crossed the Chattahoochee river Sep- 
tember 29, and concentrated at Powder Springs, Ga. 
General Sherman moved in pursuit, declaring he would 
*' destroy Hood," who moved westward and attacked 
Dalton, which surrendered. Hood now moved west, 
and, after holding the gaps of Pigeon Mountain as long 
as possible, suddenly moved south to Gladsden, Ala. ; 
thence throu<i:h Lookout jNIountain to Decatur, on the 
Tennessee river, where lie formed a junction with a 
portion of General Dick Taylor's army. Sherman 
dared not follow him from his base of supplies, and now 
saw into Hood's plan to strike a blow to recover Middle 
Tennessee ; so, dividing liis army, leaving Thomas in 
charge of Tennessee, he returned to Atlanta, and struck 
off, through Georgia and South Carolina, on his march 
to the sea, one of the most unexampled campaigns upon 
record, devastating and laying the whole country in 
waste in his track. 

Now General Hood besran liis movement from Ahi- 
bania to Tennessee, and, after marching and counter- 
marching and skirmishing, he found himself at Frank- 
lin, confronting three lines of breastworks and three 
lines of battle, He determined to attack at once, with 
his men enthusiastic in the extreme, and threw forward 



GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 38 

his advancing columns with all the dexterity for which 
he had ever been noted. The first line was swept clean, 
the men fighting hand to hand for a while with those 
in the ditches and those behind entrenchments, but the 
foe was compelled to yield, flying across the field. 

Next morning, it was discovered the Federals had 
fled toward Nashville. Hood advanced upon Nashville, 
and for two weeks laid seige to the c\\.y. 

General Thomas decided to attack General Hood, 
and, on October 15, made a general advance upon his 
line. The battle waged furiously until about three 
o'clock, General Hood still believing he held another 
splendid victory in his grasp, when Bates' division, in 
the centre of his line, suddenly gave way from the 
moving of troops, making that point more easily acces- 
sible by the enem}-. Thomas' men, by the sheer force 
of numbers, beat down, killed and wounded and cap- 
tured nearly all the men holding the breast-works. The 
moment a break was made in the line, the two corps of 
the army fled without firing a gun, the loss in killed and 
wounded disgracefully small, but the whole army de- 
moralized and scattered beyond recall — one of the most 
remarkable defeats, when success was seemingly immi- 
nent, that the pages of modern warfare chronicle. 

General Hood crossed the Tennessee river with the 
remnant of his army, and telegraphed the authorities at 
Richmond, asking to be relieved of his command. The 
request being granted, he took leave of his arm}' Jan- 
uar}' 23, 1865, as follows: 



34 GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 

Soldiers : 

At uiy request, I have tliis day l)een relieved from command of 
the army. In takiug leave of you, accept my thanks for the pa- 
tience with which you have endured your hardships during the 
recent campaign. I am alone responsible for its conception, and 
strove hard to do my duty in its execution. I urge upon you the 
importance of giving your entire support to the distinguished sol- 
dier who now nssumes command, and shall look with deep inter- 
est on all your future o]»erations, and rejoice at your success. 

J. P.. Jloon. 

The affair was deeply humiliating to General Hood, 
who had, up to the moment when defeat set its seal 
upon the hope of success, believed he would yet con- 
quor, and had projected a plan of operations for the 
followino- day. After the sad finale of turnino- over the 
troops to his successor, he proceeded to Richmond, 
and ^^'as cheered b}' the confidence reposed in him by 
the authorities in sending him to the Trans-Mississippi 
Department to bring to the assistance of General Lee 
all the troops who would follow him. While en roitte 
under these orders, he received the painful news of the 
surrender of General Lee, and, not willing yet to give 
up, continued his journey until he learned of General 
KiRBY Smith's disbandment in the Trans-Mississippi 
Department. May 31, 1865, he rode into Natchez, and 
surrendered his sword to Major-General Davidson, 
who bade him, courteoushr, retain it, and allowed him 
to proceed on his way to New Orleans. Thus, we 
perceive. General Hood was one of the first to enter the 
Confederate cause, and the last general to give up his 
sword. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Othello's occupation vvas now gone* Being all his 
life a military man, when the Confederacy became only 
a dream of the past, it was difficult to get accustomed 
to the situation, and to bring his mind into the narrow 
limits of the ordinary business affairs of life, after hand- 
ling armies, required almost Spartan courage to endure. 

Forming a compan}^ with other distinguished South- 
ern gentlemen, he entered into the insurance business, 
but the profits were not remunerative and they dis- 
solved, he being only an agent afterwards for other 
companies until the time of his death. 

He married, in New Orleans, after the war. Miss 
Hennen, daughter of a once distinguished jurist, who 
possessed all those refined, womanly traits of character 
calculated to make the sum total of man's earthly hap- 
piness, while a group of loving children gathered around 
their hearthstone of whom any parents might be proud. 

Thus the years passed on, surrounded by the tender- 
est joys of earth, until in an evil hour disease laid its 
heavy hand upon the wife and mother, and she died 
suddenly of yellow fever. 

Just three weeks afterwards the brave general, the 
noble friend, the tender father, followed the faithful 
wife to that land where the weary are at rest and loved 
ones are again united. 



36 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

Tortured with the rcahzation of the destitute and 
helpless condition of his young children (one of whom 
died the same day as the father), remembering all the 
devotion of his old soldiers, he bequeathed to them a 
touching legacy, saying: "I leave my children to 
Hood's Texas Brigade.'' 

The whole countr}^ was shocked at the misfortune 
that had overtaken these doubly-orphaned ones, and the 
Brigade accepted the trust in good faith. Mrs. Hen- 
nen, their grandmother, came to Austin, Texas, and 
selected for them a home, the Brigade having made 
arrangements to care for them and educate them prop- 
erly ; but it was decreed otherwise. Just before the 
preparations for removal w^ere complete the grand- 
mother died, and the guardians appointed by her de- 
cided to accept the invitation of wealthy citizens North 
and South, who formally adopted the little ones as their 
own, promising to make them heirs of their fortunes. 
The Brigade submitted to this arrangement, not through 
any desire to shirk the responsibility, but because, with 
their broken fortunes and decimated numbers, the future 
interests of the children were better secured. 

In looking over the record of this man amongst men, 
we are struck with the nobihty of purpose, the faith in 
his own powers, the belief in the justice of the cause, 
the wonderful amount of perseverance he displayed, 
and the powerful will subservient to his control. 

Wounded in the arm, which was never entirely sound 
afterwards, with the loss of a limb, amputated by one 
of the most difficult operations, destined ever after- 



GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 37 

wards to walk only on crutches, he conceived and car- 
ried out the western campaign, which only lacked suc- 
cess to place it among the rest of his remarkable ex- 
ploits, ever evincing that indomitable spirit which 
reigned in the bosom of General Lee. General Frank 
Blair said of him : 

The great fault of botli Johnston aud Hood was that they did 
uot have men enough to contend with Sherman's army. It was 
natural enough, after the failure of General Johnston to check 
our advance, other tactics should be emi)loyed, and no man could 
ha*'e been found who could have executed this policy with greater 
skill, ability and vigor than General Hood. 

His remains lie to-day in Washington Street Ceme- 
tery, New Orleans, in the tomb with his wife and young 
daughter, with only a plain marble slab to mark the 
spot and tell to passers-by that a great man's ashes 
there moulder into decay, the tablet bearing only this 
inscription : 

John Bejl Hood: 

General in the late Confederate Army, 

Born June 29, 1831, at Owensville, Kentucky, 

Died August 30, 1879. 

When we visited New Orleans last year, we made a 
pilgrimage to the spot where the silence of the cemeter}'- 
is undisturbed by any sound, save the breeze stirring 
the leaves of the trees, from whose branches the long 
moss hangs with graceful drapery, and where only a 
bright colored rose stands sentinel above the head of 
the fallen brave. 

We stood and gazed at the bronze statue of General 



38 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

Lee, erected as a monument to his matchless genius, at 
the intersection of two streets in the busy marts of New 
Orleans; visited Metaire Cemetery, and stood within 
the tomb of the Louisiana soldiers from the Army of 
Northern Virginia, bearing upon its summit in granite 
the life-size statue of General Jackson, and the thought 
would intrude. What has Texas done to commemorate 
the deeds of daring of her own adopted son. General 
Hood, who was so proud to claim his connection with 
her people ? The great hope sprang up that some time 
m the future we would have his statue in marble within 
our State Capitol grounds, telling with mute eloquence 
the story of our affection, and placing his record before 
the world with grateful remembrance. 



No more the Confederate Temple re-echoes with the 
shout of jubilant thousands. Our voices to-day beneath 
its dome sound awful and sepulchral, and closing the 
door with bowed head, we steal away in the gathering 
shadows. Deep down in our hearts is the belief that 
when the roll of centuries is called, if the scattered 
remnant of the old Brigade, christened with the name 
of their leader, will only remain faithful to the princi- 
ples that actuated his life, as one by one they "cross 
over the river and rest under the shade of the trees," 
they will receive the welcome plaudit from the Com- 
mander of the Universe, " Well done, good and faithful 
servant." Yoia will then, with clearer vision, read from 



GENERAL JOHN B. HOOD. 39 

the Book of Fate, and understand that our "Lost 
Cause," with its fearful baptism of blood and tears, and 
terrible sacrifice of life and fortune, has not been in 
vain, if it has led you up the rugged heights to the shin- 
ing portals of the sweet by and by. " Be thou faithful 
unto death, and I will Lrive thee a crown of life," 



405 



^/ 



46 



.it^ 



iX. 



